The Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity,
Recalling United Nations General Assembly resolution 65/161, in which the Assembly declared 2011-2020 the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity,
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Annex
FRAMEWORK FOR A COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY
A. Scope and purpose
1. The Strategy below is intended to be used as a flexible framework to guide the actions and activities of the Executive Secretary, Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity and other partners, stakeholders and actors who are involved in the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity. Its findings and conclusions should serve as a guide for the further development and articulation of specific strategies and action plans to be developed by the Executive Secretary, Parties, stakeholders and others. It should also be kept under review.
2. The purpose of the communication framework under the Convention on Biological Diversity is to guide the Secretariat, Parties other Governments and relevant organizations in developing effective communications strategies that are targeted to specific global, regional and national stakeholders with a view to advancing the three objectives of the Convention, its programmes, initiatives and Protocols.
B. Goals
3. Communications efforts need to support the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity, its Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and its 2050 vision in a sustained manner. These efforts should be designed to have an impact not only on the remaining years of the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity 2011-2020, but also on the subsequent decades leading up to 2050. Within this context, the following are the main goals:
Communicate the status of implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and its 2050Vision
4. Communications efforts need to show the state of implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and its Aichi Biodiversity Targets. Communications should clearly indicate where progress is being made, at the national and global levels, as well as cases where additional action is needed. These communications should also show how implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 is contributing to achievement of other biodiversity-relevant goals for the biodiversity-related conventions.
5. The goal is to provide an accurate picture of implementation that also provides inspiration for further action with the broader goal of inspiring sustained action towards 2050. While communications efforts during the last four years of the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity are focused on achievement of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, it is important to generate support for achievement of the vision of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity that extends to 2050.
Urge additional actions where they are needed
6. Related to the first goal, communications need to promote support for additional actions in those goals and targets of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity where Parties do not seem to be on track to achievement. These communications should be of a nature that promotes action. This can take the form of supporting efforts in a positive way, as well as offering cautions as to the negative consequences of failure to achieve the targets.
7. Parties will have a particular goal in this regard, which is to show how they will achieve the Aichi Biodiversity Targets at the national level. Other stakeholders will need to communicate how their actions support additional actions.
Demonstrate, for multiple audiences, the relevance of biodiversity and the work of the Convention for sustainable development and other global priorities
8. The three objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity are clearly linked to other international objectives for sustainable development. In demonstrating the relevance of biodiversity for these different issues, the emphasis should begin with an analysis of the core concerns for each area, with biodiversity then introduced in terms of its contribution to resolving the challenges.
9. The Climate Change agenda is of particular importance in this regard. Efforts need to be made to show the interlinkages between biodiversity and climate change. This includes the impacts of climate change on biodiversity, both at a global level and in particular instances. Likewise, it is important to highlight the contribution of biodiversity to climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts, including ecosystem-based adaptation and ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction.
10. In this way, efforts are needed to show how the work under the Convention contributes to work under the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). Messages of the CBD need to link with the agenda and messaging for land degradation neutrality of the UNCCD.
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The public and important stakeholder groups
39. It is frequently said that the work of the Convention needs to be communicated in a way that makes it relevant to the “public.” While it is true that the audience for communication is a global one, and should encompass everyone, it is also clear that the notion that a single public to whom all messages could be directed is overly simplistic and hides some important differences between audience segments. The so-called “public” is in fact a number of different audience segments divided by country, gender, socioeconomic level and languages. Therefore any attempt to reach out to the public requires an appropriate approach.
40. The most important segmentation for the public remains at the national level. An understanding of biodiversity, environmental functions and ecosystem services and their relevance to the general public is very much shaped by national circumstances and national “narratives” about people and nature and how biodiversity provides values to them. Therefore, any attempt to engage the public needs to be crafted at the national level, based on an overarching narrative.
41. Important ways to reach the public are through consultations, awareness campaigns and the media – radio, television and print forms, in particular. In this way, the media should be seen as a multiplier and a channel, rather than an audience in itself. The media seeks to produce content that will reach the public, and therefore any work to engage the media should take this perspective. Media engagement should focus on a number of the segments of the media, including:
(a) Media that covers environmental policy;
(b) Media that covers consumer issues (lifestyles, livelihood and sustainability);
(c) Media that focuses on conservation;
(d) Media that is science based;
(e) Media that focuses on business and green skills; (f) Media that focuses on dissemination to the wider public.
42. There are also particular stakeholder groups that require a focused engagement:
(a) Business is an extremely important segment. Communications should seek to engage business associations, encourage further development of the business case for biodiversity, and promote greater engagement with biodiversity-friendly businesses;
(b) Youth is a key audience as well. It can be reached via work through United Nations System-wide activities related to youth; by enhancing the Green Wave programme and other similar initiatives as tools for implementation of the Decade; through use of social media, including Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, YouTube and others; and via contests and competitions, including painting, photography, essay and others;
(c) As women are key stakeholders in both conservation and sustainable use of resources, special focus should be made in mainstreaming gender in all engagements.
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